Free Republic

Democrat Sen. John Fetterman’s (PA) recent comments urging Israel to continue targeting Iranian leadership and nuclear personnel mark a surprising shift from the typical left-wing talking points on Middle East policy. In a bold statement that aligns more closely with a strong national defense and pro-Israel stance traditionally championed by the right, Fetterman made it clear he supports Israel’s right to defend itself with decisive action. “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute, and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in...

"Senator Betterman strikes again," radio host Tony Kinnett quipped. Hey, there are worse nicknames, and this one applies well.John Fetterman had remained silent during the unfolding chaos in Los Angeles, which still represented something of an improvement over his fellow Democrats. We'll get to those examples shortly, but Fetterman had finally seen enough by last night. He warned his party about their precarious position in endorsing violence in place of speech, and flying Mexican flags while assaulting American law enforcement:I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that.This is anarchy and true chaos.My party loses...

Democrat Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman took to social media Monday to criticize his fellow Democrats for not denouncing the violent riots that broke out in Los Angeles after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid. In a post on X, Fetterman said he was disappointed in his party’s failure to take a firm stand against the destruction, calling the situation “anarchy and true chaos.” He said that the Democratic Party risks losing its moral high ground when it fails to unequivocally condemn such actions. “I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that. This is...

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) broke with the Democratic Party and condemned the anti-ICE riots that broke out in Los Angeles, pointing out that it is “anarchy and true chaos.” In a post on X, Fetterman explained that he “unapologetically” stands for “free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration.” Sen. Fetterman Breaks with Democrats, Condemns L.A. Riots: ‘Anarchy and True Chaos’ 277 A protester throws a scooter at a police vehical near the metropolitan detention center ofAP Photo/Jae C. Hong Elizabeth Weibel9 Jun 2025310 2:34 Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) broke with the Democratic Party and condemned the anti-ICE riots that broke out...

Sen. John Fetterman acknowledged Monday that “parts” of the Democratic Party’s base have turned their backs on Israel, an issue he described as one of “moral clarity” for him. Fetterman (D-Pa.) argued during a bipartisan “The Senate Project” event with Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) that those who lament the “tragedy in Gaza” should blame Hamas and its benefactor, Iran. “The Jewish community must feel constantly under assault,” said Fetterman, 55, during the event, which was streamed on Fox Nation and moderated by “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream. “I visited Penn, and I said hello with 300 [Jewish] students, and...

The thing about Democrats is they are like the Borg – a hive mind with absolute conformity. In spite of what some of the bumper stickers on their Priuses proclaim, they are not fans of questioning authority, at least their own. This is why they have now turned their resources on Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman. The message is clear: conform or we will destroy you. Ronald Reagan famously said that his 80 percent friend is not his 20 percent enemy. To Democrats, their 99.9 percent friend is their 100 percent enemy. Stray from the acceptable thought plantation they place...

In the run-up to the vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., knew her party had a problem — and its name was John Fetterman. Fetterman, the Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, was open to confirming President Donald Trump’s embattled pick, according to two people familiar with his thinking. Murray wanted to speak with her colleague one-on-one. So she reached out to set up a time. But Fetterman refused, as the two people familiar with the episode told NBC News. “He figured that she wanted to yell at him about it,” one person familiar with the...

The media’s pile-on of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reached the point where both Republicans and Democrats were lamenting the rhetorical blows landing on the hulking Pittsburgh-area lawmaker by Friday. "This is so blatantly coordinated," remarked media observer and Fox News contributor Joe Concha, who shared a link in his X post to a Politico report claiming an internal Democratic poll found Fetterman’s popularity faltering in his part of the Keystone State. The report claimed Fetterman had now fallen below 50% in Democratic voter support in the Steel City, just a few miles west of Braddock, where he was previously...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was meeting last week with representatives from a teachers union in his home state when things quickly devolved. Before long, Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and questioning why “everybody is mad at me,” “why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do” and slamming his hands on a desk, according to one person who was briefed on what occurred. As the meeting deteriorated, a staff member moved to end it and ushered the visitors into the hallway, where she broke down crying. The staffer was comforted by the teachers...

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., appears to no longer have the support he once had, with many liberals turning on him following a scathing report focusing on his health. New York Magazine's Intelligencer published a lengthy piece Friday titled "All By Himself" which says how Fetterman "insists he is in good health" in the wake of a massive stroke he suffered in May 2022, "but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew." Fetterman, once seen as a progressive darling, has earned fanfare from many moderates and conservatives over his pragmatism on various issues. However,...

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., appears to no longer have the support he once had, with many liberals turning on him following a scathing report focusing on his health. New York Magazine’s Intelligencer published a lengthy piece Friday titled “All By Himself” which says how Fetterman “insists he is in good health” in the wake of a massive stroke he suffered in May 2022, “but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew.” Fetterman, once seen as a progressive darling, has earned fanfare from many moderates and conservatives over his pragmatism on various issues. However,...

John Fetterman’s camera-thirsty wife has done him dirty. New York Magazine published a hit piece on the Pennsylvania senator Friday, airing grievances from his staffers who are concerned about his mental health, his views on the Israel-Gaza War. The piece also shed light on Fetterman’s relationship with his left-wing wife, Gisele, who secretly communicated with his staff and made a political disagreement into a full-blown argument. ... Gisele visited her husband’s senate office in November 2023, weeks after Hamas attacked Israel, and got into a heated debate about the burgeoning war and her husband’s support for the Israeli state. Gisele...

A recently resurfaced video shows Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) clashing with an American Airlines pilot over seatbelt compliance during a flight from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh. The incident occurred earlier this year and has drawn renewed attention following a report highlighting concerns about Fetterman's mental fitness.

New York Magazine’s Ben Terris saved the most important part of his extensive profile of Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman for last: “I didn’t find any indication that the stroke had left him cognitively impaired,” he wrote in its concluding paragraphs. That is not the impression that a reader would have gathered from the worried former Fetterman staffers, jilted progressive activists, and anecdotes detailing the senator’s declining mental health that preceded this observation. The piece paints a portrait of a broken man, a shadow of his former self, plagued by depression and demented episodes. None of that was especially apparent to...

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) says the Trump administration should drop nuclear negotiations with Iran and finish off the country's nuclear facilities with a military strike. "Waste that s—t," the Pennsylvania Democrat told the Washington Free Beacon in an interview on Wednesday. "You're never going to be able to negotiate with that kind of regime that has been destabilizing the region for decades already, and now we have an incredible window, I believe, to do that, to strike and destroy Iran's nuclear facilities." Fetterman dismissed the foreign policy experts who warn that striking Iran would lead to the outbreak of...

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) says the Trump administration should drop nuclear negotiations with Iran and finish off the country's nuclear facilities with a military strike. "Waste that s—t," the Pennsylvania Democrat told the Washington Free Beacon in an interview on Wednesday. "You're never going to be able to negotiate with that kind of regime that has been destabilizing the region for decades already, and now we have an incredible window, I believe, to do that, to strike and destroy Iran's nuclear facilities." Fetterman dismissed the foreign policy experts who warn that striking Iran would lead to the outbreak of...

A U.S. senator said a GLP-1 drug changed his life — and now he’s calling for widespread access to anti-obesity medications. In a New York Times op-ed on April 8, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., wrote about his experience with Mounjaro (tirzepatide). The injectable prescription medicine is primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes. Fetterman was prescribed the medication in July 2024. “As a stroke survivor, I was interested in studies showing [Mounjaro] could significantly reduce the risk of major cardiac events,” the senator wrote. “Even though I started taking it for my heart health, I’ve been struck by how much...

While requiring voters to prove they are who they say they are does make elections more secure, the reality tends to be more complicated.Pennsylvania, which cemented itself as a true swing state in the last few presidential elections, does not currently require voter ID at the polls, other than for first-time voters. The rumblings about the need for Pennsylvania voter ID are intensifying, and yet another in a long string of bills was just introduced.Social media punditry — by self-proclaimed experts — would lead the casual observer to believe that voter ID is the answer to all election integrity woes...

After the recent government shutdown vote, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) offered a three-word response to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) after she complained about how Senate Democrats handled the deal, criticizing her party for caving to Republican demands and not pushing harder against the funding bill. In a blunt response, Fetterman told his fellow Democrat to "deal with it.” This exchange highlights the ongoing friction within the Democratic Party, where some members like Ocasio-Cortez argue for a tougher stance, while others, like Fetterman, prioritize pragmatic solutions to avoid a shutdown. On Friday, Fetterman told AOC to “deal with it” after she...

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., was gifted a silver-plated beeper during a visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the lawmaker praised Israel's covert operation in which it detonated pagers last year worn by Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. Fetterman repeatedly has voiced support for Israel while breaking with the Democratic Party, which has been critical of Israel's military operations in Gaza, and has demanded that Hamas return all the hostages the terror group took on Oct. 7, 2023. He was visiting Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem this week when he reiterated his support for the Jewish state. "Hamas does not want...